Thinking Out Loud
by GideonGraystairs
Summary: Sophie gets fed up with her friend's consistent pining over a fair-haired employee at the bakery they now frequent and decides that if Tessa isn't going to say anything, she will. She'll be thanked for this later.


_**The title fit better with the original plan I had for this one, but I'm leaving in like half an hour and wanted to get this up before then as I don't know if I'll be able to post in the next two weeks so I haven't come up with a new one. It still kind of fits? All well, here you go. Another fic for the 24 Fics in 24 Days Challenge I did.**_

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><p>"And then Gideon took the—" Sophie cut off in her dramatic tale on how she and her new husband had broken their fridge, a feat she'd apparently previously thought to be impossible. "Tessa?" she groaned, pinning her friend with an exasperated look. "Just go talk to him already."<p>

Effectively snapped out of her haze, Tessa whipped around in her chair at one of the many tables inside the bakery that had just opened a week ago on her street. She gave the woman seated across from her a horrified look. "I can't do that!"

"And why _not_?" Sophie demanded in annoyance, tapping her foot impatiently against the tiled floor of the shop. She cast the man in question, who was currently restocking the glass display attached to the counter, a curious look, wondering what about him had captured her friend's attention so raptly. He was cute, she supposed, and his smile was genuine and soft. He seemed polite and avertly kind, by the way he chatted amiably with the boy sitting on the counter beside the till, swinging his legs against the wood in a rhythmic thumping beat. She could see the appeal, though she still didn't understand why the brunnette across from her had all but fallen in love with the man.

Tessa, for her part, had promptly started to avoid so much as glancing in his direction since Sophie had started the conversation. "Because that's— That would be— I just can't, okay!"

Rolling her eyes, Sophie carefully uncrossed her legs from under the table and spun in her chair, rising to her feet and patting down her skirt in a determined manner. If Tessa wasn't going to say anything or give her a reason for doing so, she would just have to talk to him for her. It sounded like a much more appealing option than continuing to watch, and listen, to her friend pine over a man she'd never even had a conversation with apart from asking for the scone she ordered every day just to have an excuse to go in.

Heels clicking against the tile as she went, Sophie ignored her friend's pleas to return to their table and marched herself over to the counter, leaning against it just beside where the dark haired boy still sat swinging his legs. He raised an eyebrow at her. She raised one back.

"Hey," she called out to where the lighter-haired boy Tessa had been obsessing over was crouched behind the glass display, placing various baked goods in their respective places. He glanced up in curiosity at the sound of her voice, before rising from his lowered position and brushing his hands off on the apron around his waist with a welcoming smile.

"Can I help you?" he asked amiably, moving over to stand right in front of her, fingers hovering over the till.

"Yes, actually. You see that girl over there?" She turned minutely to point over her shoulder at where Tessa was currently sinking as far into her seat as possible while trying to hide her bright red face from view and dissolve into the floor tiles. Sophie almost laughed at the sight but, as it was, she had a job to do here. The man across from her glanced over briefly in perplexion before nodding while she stared absently down at the name tag pinned onto his t-shirt and noted that his name was James. "She's been obsessing over you for the past week and frankly it's getting ridiculous." She didn't pause to acknowledge James's surprised expression or raised eyebrows. "So, would you please do me a favor and either tell her you're not interested and are a total douche or something so she can shut up about you or go over there and ask her out."

"Um," said the silver-eyed boy, blinking at her

"Great, thanks. Have a good day, James," said Sophie, turning on her heel to head back over to Tessa and ignoring the snickering coming from the dark-haired boy still seated on the counter. Sinking gracefully back into her chair, Sophie reached for the coffee she'd ordered an hour before and sipped at it wordlessly while the woman across from her looked like she'd rather be drowning in her own beverage than drinking it.

"Oh my God," she whined, still covering her face with her hands. "Why would you do that? He's probably so weirded out now! He must think I'm creepy."

Sophie groaned, rolling her eyes for the second time that afternoon. "Oh, get over yourself. What are you, twelve? 'Oh, he's so hot. Oh, look how dreamy he is. Oh, I can't possibly go talk to him like a normal human being.' Seriously, Tessa. He seems nice enough, it's not like he's horribly unapproachable or anything."

"That's not the point!"

"Then what _is _the point, Tessa? Because frankly I don't see one. Now, wipe off that deer in the headlights look you've got going on, fix your hair, and quit whining. He's coming over here," Sophie informed the other woman snapily, reaching out to swipe a stray strand of her brown hair back over to the right side of her head.

"He's _what_? Oh my God, Sophie, what have you _done_? I can't—" Tessa cut off abruptly at the sight of the fair-haired boy now standing awkwardly in front of their table. She clapped a hand over her mouth and sunk into her seat like that would hide her from the current situation. Sophie rolled her eyes again.

"Um," James said, repeating his original reaction to Sophie's swift deliverance of information. "So, your friend tells me you kind of have a crush on me?"

"Oh my God," Tessa exclaimed for the third time that afternoon, covering her burning face with her hands once more.

"I'm flattered," he tried instead, glancing helplessly over his shoulder at Leg-Swinging Boy, who merely snickered and gave him a mocking thumbs up in response. "That— I— Would you like to—" He paused, this time giving Tessa the helpless look. "Go out sometime?"

Sophie couldn't help the snort she let out at the expression on Tessa's face when she finally lowered her hands enough to give James a vaguely mortified but mostly shocked look. "What?" she sputtered back.

If someone had told her it was possible to look any more uncomfortable than James did at that moment, Sophie would have laughed in their face. "I asked if you wanted to go out with me sometime?" he repeated awkwardly, voice arching in pitch at the end and turning into a question rather than the statement she was sure he'd intended it to be.

"I, um, yes." Admittedly, Sophie was probably enjoying the awkward exchange just a little too much. Granted, Leg-Swinging Boy appeared to be enjoying it just as much as she was.

"Great, uh. Here's my number?" Once again, James's voice managed to lilt itself up into a question as he reached into the pocket of his jeans and withdrew a thick card, passing it off to a burning red Tessa. The woman across from Sophie gave a small nod, with a barely notable squeak as their fingers brushed, and then reached into her purse to grab her own and pass it off to James.

"Thanks," he said, looking over his shoulder at Leg-Swinging again. "I'm Jem." Frowning, Sophie glanced again at the name tag pinned to his left breast before it registered that 'Jem' was probably a nickname he preferred to go by.

"Tessa," her friend squeaked back, one hand remaining covering half her face as the other reached to shake Jem's offered hand. Satisfied, the attractive young man gave her a gentle— and vaguely apologetic expression as he glanced over at where Sophie sat looking just a little too pleased with herself— smile before turning to head back to the counter. Sophie watched as Leg-Swinging Boy grinned widely at him, a mischievous glint in his sharp blue eyes until Jem promptly reached out and shoved him off the counter.

"Oh my God," Tessa muttered for the fourth time, drawing her attention back to her currently mortified best friend. "That just happened."

Nodding absently, Sophie reached out to snatch her drink back up and take another contemplative sip. "What would you do without me?"

Tessa glared. "I hate you."

Smirking, Sophie raised a pointed eyebrow at the card still resting in the other woman's hands and gave a suggestive glance towards the man who could now be found bickering with Leg-Swinging Boy by the till. "No, you don't."

Resigned, Tessa gave the two boys a look as well. "No, I don't," she admitted.

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><p><em><strong>I don't know why all the TID one-shots I write end up being from Sophie's point of view or having her present (Friends, Try Me, Espresso Yourself- which is Gophie so obviously it had to have her in it). I just really love her, okay. But anyway, let me know what you thought?<strong>_


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